Trainer Ron Burke sent out the two winners of $23,288 divisions of the featured conditioned trot at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on Saturday afternoon, Ordained and Seven Reps, while the pacing cut of the top class went to Jamaican Rock A.
Ordained, a four-year-old Father Patrick-Chic Chick gelding, took his field wire-to-wire in 1:52.4, needing to come home in :55.4 and :27.4 to defeat first-over Mr Bluebird (Jonathan Ahle) by a head, with favoured pocket-sitter Whiskey Lou (Ridge Warren) just a neck off from taking it all. Tyler Buter, the meet’s leading driver, teamed with the meet’s leading trainer to win with the winner of more than $400,000 for Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Beasty and Frank Baldachino.
Seven Reps took a new mark of 1:53 as the four-year-old Muscle Hill-Sette Deo gelding vacated the pocket at 8-1 to down favoured pacesetter The Fix Is In (Charlie Norrie) by a half-length for driver George Napolitano Jr., and the ownership of Burke Racing Stable, Knox Services, Lawrence Karr and J&T Silva – Purnel & Libby.
Burke and Napolitano Jr. led their respective colonies with three winners each on the 10-race afternoon program.
Jamaican Rock A is now two-for-two in North America after whistling through a 1:48.3 mile in the pacing feature, coming home in :54 for George Napolitano Jr. to win by a neck over Iknowbetter (Anthony Napolitano). The six-year-old gelding sired by A Rocknroll Dance out of Jamaka Run is trained by Scott Blackler and owned by Chad Kowal.
The $22,603 fast-class handicap pace was won by 19-1 prospect Santana Hanover, a five-year-old Big Jim-So Artsi gelding who closed strongly from third-over to defeat Congressional (Kevin Wallis) by three quarters of a length in 1:49.4 for driver Jack Pelling, trainer Joe Bongiorno and owners JB Racing, J R Ryan and Collin Ryan.
Racing continues at Pocono with a 6 p.m. card on Sunday, followed by 1 p.m. programs on Monday and Tuesday.
(With files from PHHA/Pocono; photo of Jamaican Rock A winning on July 26)